PRAKOTHARN MR. DENCHAI is a colorectal cancer patient stage III from Thailand. After recurrence of bloody stool in 2013, he underwent resection of colorectal tumor. In mid-2015, metastasis and recurrence occurred. In the CT-scan a tumor about 3.5cm*3cm was noted in his liver. After Nanoknife in St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, his condition went well and under controlled, tumor marker has almost decreased to normal. Symptoms such as fatigue have also disappeared. And now, his tumor has lost activity. 

MR. DENCHAI(the third on the left) with medical staff in MCHG

Bloody Stool: Typical Symptom of Colorectal Cancer

MR. DENCHAI is 43 years old this year (2016). He had noticed bloody stools since 2008 which is a typical symptom that occurs when colorectal cancer developed to a certain stage. However, most people ignore the bleeding caused by internal piles and even doctors would often misdiagnose. Colorectal cancer has a high incidence rate and death rate, frequently occurs among people over 45. Therefore, it is necessary to take promptly colorectal cancer screening as soon as the symptom of bloody stool occurs.

Minimally invasive specialist in MCHG, Director Bai Haishan was performing puncture and placing electrode probes for the patient

After the occurrence of bloody stool, MR. DENCHAI didn’t take it seriously. Until being diagnosed with sigmoid colorectal cancer in a regular check-up, he was in depressed mood and then undertook tumor removal after the doctor’s recommendation.

A month after the surgery, MR. DENCHAI started chemotherapy which uses chemo drugs to kill cancer cells all over the body and cause serious side effects. Indeed, MR. DENCHAI terribly suffered from severe hiccup after chemotherapy. “Every day I belched around the clock, which affected my eating and sleeping patterns”. Not enduring the side effects of chemotherapy, MR. DENCHAI gave up after two sessions of treatment. Finally, he got to know MCHG through a Thailand advertisement. Minimally invasive treatment taking advantages of lesser side effects caught his attention and gave him hope. Therefore he went to Guangzhou for treatment.

During the nanoknife treatment

Nanoknife Got Tumor Promptly Under Control

In MCHG, it was confirmed the diagnosis, recurrence and metastasis of colorectal cancer stage IV after radical resection. For his hepatic metastatic tumor, Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) from MCHG initially wondered whether surgery was feasible since it was only a single lesion. The lesion was located between the right branch of portal vein and right hepatic artery. Removal is at high risk and might cause damage to these tissues. Ultimately, after two-hour discussion, Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) decided to apply the most advanced technique Nanoknife to Mr. DENCHAI.

Nanoknife is a brand new, advanced tumor ablation therapy, which breaks the membrane of tumor cells with high voltage pulses from electrode probes, resulting in multiple permanent nano-meters Irreversible Electroporation (IRE), damaging cells balance and accelerating the death of cancer cells. The advantages of nanoknife far outweigh traditional surgery such as, no damage to important tissues around the tumor, reservation of vessels, bile duct, nerve, ureter, etc , distinct border of ablation area, reducing the recurrence risk and achieving same therapeutic effect as usual operation.

Electric probes releasing high-voltage pulses to break the membrane of tumor cells

After the treatment, MR. DENCHAI’s tumor instantly got under control. Additionally, he did not suffer any side effects as before such as the nausea and vomiting. He got soon recovered and regained optimism and confidence. According to the chief physician Ma Xiaoying, currently MR. DENCHAI’s tumor marker has almost backed to normal and he is in good condition.

Nanoknife-New Hope for Middle and Advanced Stage Cancer Patients

It is known that nanoknife has been approved by US FDA into clinical use. The Ministry of Public Health of China approved the technology for cancer treatment in 2015. It is a brand new ablation therapy for solid tumor occurred in liver and pancreas.

DENCHAI is in good condition after treatment

Director Bai Haishan in St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou pointed out that nanoknife applied in clinic these years has brought hope to pancreatic cancer and hepatic cancer patients. It enables patients with inoperable condition to achieve a chance of radical therapeutic effect. “Especially for those tumors adjacent to main blood vessels, doctors can’t do anything in the past. Patients always can just passively wait for the fate. But now, these small probes can effectively avoid surgical risk.”

The successful completion of nonaknife for recurrence of colorectal cancer with liver metastasis means St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou has made great progress in the field of nanoknife, which will bring more new hope for the middle and advanced stage cancer patients.

*Surgery, in addition to the appropriate chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are effective in treating early cancer, but certain patients in late stage of cancer may not be tolerate surgery well as they can be relatively weak. A combination of carefully planned minimally invasive therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can effectively reduce the side effects and discomfort of treatment and may help patient get better efficacy.